Texas Early Voting Turnout by County & Polling Hours 2016

A bilingual sign stands outside a polling center at public library ahead of local elections on April 28, 2013 in Austin, Texas. (Getty)

Early voting is underway all over the country and, surprisingly, there’s actually some question over who will wind up winning Texas. The overwhemingly liklihood is that Donald Trump will secure the state, winning it just as every Republican has done since 1980. But Hillary Clinton is shockingly close in the polls, and FiveThirtyEight gives Clinton a better chance of winning Texas than it gives Trump of winning Pennsylvania.

Even though Clinton’s chances of winning Texas are still low, taking a look at these early voting results still gives us an idea of how enthusiastic voters on both sides are, as well as if there’s any sign of the state beginning to turn blue in a way that might affect the next few elections.

On October 24th, 2016, the first day of early voting in Texas, approximately 394,000 people cast their ballots in person, while another 182,000 people voted by mail. This adds up to a total number of votes cast of 576,000, or roughly six percent of the state’s entire voting population. This is a big upswing from 2012 when, on the first day of early voting, 253,000 people voted in person and 126,000 voted by mail, adding up to 379,000 votes cast or about four percent of the state’s voting population. Just on day one, nearly 200,000 more people voted in 2016 than did in 2012.

On October 25th, the second day of 2016 early voting, an additional 600,000 people voted, bringing the total so far up to 987,000, or ten percent of the state’s voting population. This is an increase of roughly 342,000 votes from the second day of early voting in 2012, and by that point four years ago, only seven percent of the state’s population had cast a ballot. Texas has not yet released its numbers for October 26th.

Of the 15 counties for which early voting information has been made available, the average county has seen an increase of votes cast of 53.9 percent. The state does not release information about how many Democrats and Republicans voted. But there are seven counties where the spike is higher than the average of 53 percent, and of those seven counties, five voted for Barack Obama in 2012. Of the counties that voted for Obama in 2012, there has been an average increased number of votes of 64.7 percent, but of the counties that went for Mitt Romney, the average increase has been 44.5 percent. This all suggests that Texas Democrats may be much more enthusiastic than usual this year.

By far the biggest spike has been in Travis County, which is extremely Democratic and which voted for Barack Obama in 2012. Travis County has seen an increased number of votes of 119 percent, with about 46,000 more people voting early there than did by this point in 2012.

Here are the early voting statistics for this year, taking into account votes cast both in person and by mail on October 24th and October 25th.

Those under the Democratic Party umbra have been too passive and either reticent or unwilling to fight back. It is evident that the former Republican Party, the Trump Party, has been co-opted by the alt-right, The KKK, The American Nazi Party, and the White Aryan Nations. The US version of extreme nationalism parrallels those groups throughout Europe. All are dangerous, a repetition of the 1st quarter of the 20th century. We are no longer in a position to remain silent or passively accept verbal and psycholical abuse hurled by the right wing.

All anyone needs to see about your is that “Mooslem” bit. You are a festering sore on the buttocks of humanity.

As for the rest, please note that the greatest percentage increases in early voting are in the Dem counties. May this continue. Once Texas is a reliable Democratic state the Republicans are doomed. Y’all can keep the Dirt States and drive them into oblivion. We will run the places were people actually want to live.

While your use of the English language is amusing, your views are those of a spoiled brat. Outside of Austin – Texas is strongly Red and for good reason. Feel free to move to Seattle or Denver whenever you wish (or when your parents give you the money).

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